Flying Blue elite members can purchase up to 300,000 miles per transaction before the bonus, and others 100,000. There is no limit on the number of miles elite members can buy yearly.

You can access Flying Blue’s page for buying miles here.

Price in USD at 120% bonus:

The price in USD at 120% is 1.38 US cents each.

Price in EUR at 100% bonus:

The price of a Flying Blue mile under the 100% bonus offer is 1.25 euro cents each. There was a 120% bonus sale earlier this year when the price was as low as 1.14 cents.

Conclusion

Flying Blue miles come in handy at times (the easiest to book awards is to use their app), and the only way to access first-class La Premiere-cabin (need to be a Platinum or Ultimate member soon) is not available using partner programs. Some of the business awards are rather competitively priced.

These are the Terms and Conditions:

During the promotional period, Elite members can receive a maximum bonus of 300,000 Miles when buying Miles, while Explorer members can receive a maximum bonus of 100,000 Miles.
Bonus Miles will be rewarded on transactions made between 1 and 21 December 2022, 2359 CET +1, and will be credited to the recipient’s account when the transaction is complete.
Miles are sold in units of 2,000 Miles up to 100,000 Miles, and in units of 25,000 from 100,000 to 300,000 Miles. Elite members may purchase an unlimited number of Miles, while Explorer members may only purchase or receive up to 100,000 Miles in any calendar year, unless a promotion is active in which case it is possible to either purchase or receive Bonus Miles on top of the 100,000 Miles.

Miles are sold to you by Points.com Inc.(“Points.com”) Miles will be deposited into your account within 72 hours of purchase. You have the right to withdraw your purchase within 14 days as provided in the Buy and Gift Miles Program Terms and Conditions. To exercise the withdrawal right or to obtain assistance with the Buy and Gift Miles Program, please contact the Customer Service Centre.

You can get MVP by flying two transcontinental round trips and MVP Gold by four. The eligible flight must take place January 1 – March 31, 2023.

You can access this offer on Alaska’s website here.

Note that award flights are NOT eligible for this challenge,

Eligible Routes:

• Los Angeles (LAX) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Newark (EWR), Washington-Dulles (IAD), or Washington-Reagan (DCA)
• San Diego (SAN) and Boston (BOS), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Newark (EWR), New York (JFK), or Orlando (MCO)
• San Francisco (SFO) and Boston (BOS), New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Orlando (MCO), Tampa (TPA), Washington-Dulles (IAD), or Washington-Reagan (DCA)

Mileage Plan MVP Status Requirements

Mileage Plan Status Benefits

Conclusion

Alaska and other airlines have offered status fast tracks and bonus miles for program members in California, which appears to be a competitive market.

Alaska tries to drive more traffic for its transcontinental flights ex-Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco by offering this promotion for members with an address in California.

Terms and conditions of this offer:

Eligible members who register for this promotion before their first qualifying flight will receive 2023 MVP® status after flying 2 roundtrips (4 qualifying flights) and 2023 MVP Gold status after flying 4 roundtrips (8 qualifying flights) within the promotional period. Qualifying flights must take place between January 1 and March 31, 2023. Qualifying flights must be marketed and operated by Alaska Airlines and nonstop between Los Angeles (LAX) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Newark (EWR), Washington-Dulles (IAD), or Washington-Reagan (DCA); Between San Diego (SAN) and Boston (BOS), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Newark (EWR), New York (JFK) or Orlando (MCO); Between San Francisco (SFO) and Boston (BOS), New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Orlando (MCO), Tampa (TPA), Washington-Dulles (IAD), or Washington-Reagan (DCA). Mileage for qualifying flights must be credited to the member’s Mileage Plan account. Not valid on free or award travel. 2023 elite status will be awarded within four to six weeks of qualifying activity posting to a member’s account, and will be valid through December 31, 2023. The registration period begins December 1, 2022. Only Mileage Plan members in California as indicated by the address attached to their Mileage Plan account are eligible for this offer. All terms and conditions of the Mileage Plan program apply. Offer subject to change without notice.

The access to La Premiere awards is limited to Flying Blue Platinum and Ultimate members, effective January 1, 2023. Also, there is a maximum of ONE award seat made available in this cabin.

You can access Flying Blue here.

Email from Flying Blue:

La Premiere Award Search:

You must use Air France’s award search to obtain first-class availability.

The La Premiere mileage requirements are very high.

Conclusion

I have looked into using my Flying Blue miles for a one-way La Premiere flight, but I have never got it to work.

The number of miles required for La Premier is usually at least triple or quadruple compared to business, and difficult to justify this beyond wanting to check out the product.

Limiting the cabin awards to only Flying Blue Platinum and Ultimate may make them slightly more accessible for these select members to redeem.

When going through the purchase process, customers now have the option of putting the purchase on hold for 24 hours before completing the purchase either through the website or an agent.

At the same time, American Airlines retains the option of canceling the ticket within 24 hours free of charge, but there are still use cases where the hold option is a lot more practical, especially when it comes to using vouchers and flight credits.

American Airlines has been rather horrible when it comes to properly allowing the use of credits on the website. There is almost always the one or other error message and shockingly enough, there are still paper vouchers issued by customer service that require to be mailed in.

Rather than relying on the reservation agent to find the best fare, with the hold option you can search for a suitable itinerary and put it on hold, then call reservations and tell the agent you want to use a voucher or flight credits and proceed from there.

Here is how it’s displayed on the website again (I just tested it as I write this article):

Keep in mind that the hold option might not be available if the flight is operating on short notice. This one was an international itinerary from Dallas to Tokyo two weeks from now.

I also tried to use it on another flight pair which was a LAX-LAS flight seven days from now, and for some reason, the option was not available.

Airlines have always played around with such a hold option but most eventually settled on allowing free 24-hour cancellation windows post-booking. I remember when you could trigger a hold on United’s website by entering your credit card information incorrectly 3 times, and then the website would create a PNR. You could then take your voucher to an airport ticketing counter and get it processed.

Conclusion

American Airlines customers can once again avail themselves to the 24-hour hold option available on the website for itineraries 14 days+ out.

This is a welcome change as the hold button was unavailable for quite some time and missed by those who liked to either hold flights before making hotel arrangements or wished to use some sort of voucher/credit.

It’s always better to be able to search for the best itinerary and price by yourself online and then hold that reservation rather than relying on a callcenter agent to give you the best option. It’s especially frustrating if you can book it for much cheaper online but the agent can’t recreate it to use a credit.

This is a great change, well, reinstatement and I hope American will keep this option around.

Remember to email or message us via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with your airfare-related questions or discoveries!

fare: Singapore Airlines (SQ) D15JPR8 TYO to SYD

• Booking class: D
• Price: from $2,166 ($2,063 base fare + taxes & surcharges).
• Day/time restrictions: -/-.
• Advanced reservation/ticketing restrictions: -/-
• Minimum stay: 3 days.
• Maximum stay: 1 month.
• Stopovers: unlimited free stopovers permitted.
• Cancellations: ticket is non-refundable.
• Changes: charge JPY 25,000 for reissue/revalidation.

IATA’S COVID19 REGULATIONS MAP

Routing examples

Price comparison

Booking examples

This fare can be booked on Singapore Airlines:

Accruals

Fare rules

Download (DOCX, 37KB)

The maximum discount is 50% off the usual number of miles required (although often the rebate is capped at 25%).

You can access Flying Blue’s web page for promotional awards here or here.

You can buy Flying Blue miles often with a bonus. You can check the latest offer here.

Available routes for the December 2022 Promo Awards 

Short/Medium Haul

Long-Haul

You can also book these one way. These are not only for flights originating from Europe, as all the long-haul destinations are valid for both directions. Flying Blue used to divide Europe into zones 1, 2, and 3 but seems to use the designation EUROPE for all these from now on.

Note that Europe should include all the following countries for long-haul awards:

Europe 1
Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Switzerland, Luxembourg

Europe 2
Austria, Balearic Islands, Finland, Denmark, Italy, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden

Europe 3 
Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Canary Islands, Croatia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Libya, Lithuania, Latvia, Macedonia, Moldova, Morocco, Poland, Romania, West Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Tunisia, Ukraine.

Flying Blue has changed the taxes and mainly fuel surcharges it collects for award tickets making economy awards a better deal than they used to be. In addition, the fuel surcharge that Air France-KLM now calls a “carrier-imposed international surcharge” is capped for premium economy, business, and first-class flights.

Flight Search: Montreal – Madrid:

The business class award nicely prices at 27,500 miles + $241.64.

Conclusion

Flying Blue recently revamped its Promo Award page. Unfortunately, it doesn’t state which cabin of service (Economy, Premium Economy & Business) the lower award prices apply.

The award sale from Montreal and Toronto are business class for sure, possibly from other destinations if AFKL has decided to make several cabins available at a discount.

Here are the terms and conditions of this award type:

• Promo reward tickets must be booked via www.airfrance.com or www.klm.com (except for bookings for minors travelling alone or when travelling with an infant under the age of 2, in these cases bookings must be made by calling customer service).

• Promo reward tickets issued before 29 June 2022 can be changed or cancelled free of charge. Promo reward tickets issued as of 29 June 2022 can be changed or cancelled for a fee of €50. For details, contact customer service.

• Promo reward tickets are subject to the operating airline’s general conditions of carriage.

• Promo reward tickets are available for one-way and round-trip tickets paid with Miles (Promo reward tickets are not available for purchase with Miles & Cash).

• Promo reward tickets are subject to availability.

• Displayed Miles Fares for Long Haul destinations are for flights to/from Paris or Amsterdam.

• Promo reward tickets for long haul-flights depart from or arrive in Europe, as defined by IATA as the following countries: Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Austria, Balearic Islands, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, West Russia.

• Due to COVID-19 we have an updated rebook policy for Promo rewards, which you can read here: https://www.flyingblue.com/en/news/rebook-policy

Accor Live Limitless (ALL) members earn 1,000 bonus points for a stay of two nights or longer booked after registering for this offer and by January 31.

You can access this offer on Accor’s website here.

READ MORE: Accor ALL Rate & Bonus Points Offers

Eligible Countries:

Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Maldives, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar

Note that these bonus points are in addition to the base and possible elite bonuses you earn from the stay.

Conclusion

This an excellent bonus opportunity that works well for an inexpensive stay and Accor brands with limited earnings

Terms and conditions of this bonus opportunity:

1. General ALL – Accor Live Limitless terms and conditions apply to the [Season of ALL_Stay Offer] offer and you must be a member of ALL – Accor Live Limitless to benefit from it.

2. To take advantage of this offer, members of the ALL loyalty programme must register for the offer  (between [1 December 2022], through 11:59 p.m. Central European Time (CET), [31 January 2023]) prior to their stay by clicking on the “Log in” button and then following the instructions. Only bookings made after successful registration via the login button are eligible for this bonus offer.

3. This offer entitles members of ALL – Accor Live Limitless, regardless of their membership status, to earn [1000] bonus Rewards points when staying at any hotel that has enrolled in the ALL – Accor Live Limitless loyalty programme.

This Rewards points bonus is offered in addition to the Rewards points and Status points that are usually earned by the member on completing an eligible stay, in accordance with the ALL – Accor Live Limitless general conditions of use

4. This offer can be used only [1] time(s) per member during its validity period. The first stay booked and completed following registration for the offer is eligible for the Rewards points credit, as per the offer conditions.

5. This offer is valid for a member’s stay from [15 December 2022] to [31 March 2023] in one of the participating hotels in [Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Phiippines, Maldives, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar], and booked between 1 December 2022], through 11:59 p.m. Central European Time (CET), 31 January 2023].

6. The stay must be a minimum of [2] night(s).

7. For the purposes of this offer, a stay is understood to be one (1) booking by a member of ALL for one or several rooms. In other words, bookings that include more than one (1) room will be counted as just one (1) stay. The earlier check-out date is counted while the credit of Rewards and Status points is calculated.

In other words, a member of ALL – Accor Live Limitless will receive eligible points and nights for the room which he/she vacates first.

8. To be eligible for this offer, stays must be booked directly via Accor (via the official Accor websites, the Accor All mobile apps, the ALL call centre, directly at a hotel) or through a traditional travel agency whose booking system is automatically connected to the Accor booking office. Stays booked via a reseller, tour operator or third-party online travel agent (such as expedia.com, booking.com, etc.) will not be eligible for this offer.

9. Members must provide their ALL – Accor Live Limitless Loyalty card number when making the reservation, and present the card at the hotel reception desk at check-in.

10. Rewards points will be credited to the member’s account within 10 days of the member checking out.

11. This offer cannot be combined with other current promotional offers or advantages and does not apply to groups.

If the stay meets the terms and conditions for several offers, only the Rewards points linked to the most generous offer (meaning that allows you to earn the highest number of Rewards points) will be credited to your account.

12. Stays at onefinestay are not eligible for this offer.

13. Any stay partly or entirely paid with ALL – Accor Live Limitless Rewards points will not be eligible to receive this offer.

14. This offer is subject to availability. General sales terms and conditions apply for reserved public rates specific to each hotel.

15. Accor, participating hotels and/or partners of this offer accept no liability for non-performance or unavailability of the offer due to an external and unavoidable event that makes performance by Accor, participating hotels and/or partners of this offer impossible or disproportionately burdensome. Customers or members will not be entitled to any compensation and the benefits of the offer (particularly Reward points) will not be issued/credited if the offer cannot be implemented in these circumstances.

16. Please specify the reference [015529] in all your communications with call centres or customers care services related to this offer.

You get 1,000 free Volare points for each new member who registers (no flight activity required) and up to 10,000 points. The offer is valid until December 2, 2023.

You can access this offer on ITA Airways website here.

Offer Information:

Invite your friends to join Volare and receive 1000 points for each new member!

Up to December 2, 2023, you can invite as many friends as you want but the points will be credited only for the first 10 who will complete their registration. And your first 10 friends who sign up for the program too will receive a bonus of 1000 points each!

Inviting a friend is very easy:

–        access your personal area from mobile or PC

–        click on the section “Invite your friends”

–        you will get a personal code to share with your friends

–        the code should be entered during registration in the section “Have you received an invitation code?”

–        After completing the registration, within the next 48 hours, points will be credited to you and your friends.  Bonus points are non-qualifying.

Conclusion

So, you can easily earn 10,000 bonus Volare points by getting friends & family members to sign up for the program.

I am sure this is an easy way to get many Volare sign-ups, but whether these end up ever flying the airlines is entirely another matter.

Best Western Rewards members earn 2,000, 4,000, and 6,000 bonus points for stays they consume after registering for this offer.

You can access this offer on Best Western’s website here.

READ MORE: Best Western Rewards Rate & Bonus Points Offers

Note that the stays must be in the following countries to be eligible:

Germany, Croatia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Czech Republic, and Hungary.

How the bonus points add up:

Stay 1: 2,000 bonus points

Stay 2: 4,000 bonus points (6,000 cumulative bonus)

Stay 3: 6,000 bonus points (12,000 cumulative bonus)

Conclusion

Best Western tends to have Miles&More bonus miles offers for stays in these countries, but these points offers are better suited for those who are after free stays.

Delta is reacting by reducing the ability of those who are actually able to not only enter the SkyClub based on status but also who is able to purchase a club membership in the first place, which is setting a dangerous precedent as far as airline loyalty is concerned. 

There is indeed a problem with size of the SkyClubs and how busy they get at times, especially at the major hubs.

I always found it hard to put a finger on it why Delta has such a problem compared to other competitors such as United and American. Especially in light of the lackluster lounge access policy for Elite/SkyTeam Elite Plus members even for overseas partners who have no access unless on a same day international itinerary. Put that in contrast to Star Alliance Gold and oneWorld Sapphire/Emerald.

To say it right off the bat, the cutbacks will impact loyal Delta Skymiles flyers the most while those entering the lounge under credit cards such as SkyMiles Amex and Amex Platinum as well as international Elite Plus members, aren’t affected at all.

You can access Delta Air Lines website here where the new entry requirements are outlined.

Starting in 2023, with these updates, Delta Sky Club access will be available to:

Medallion Members who purchase a Sky Club membership.

• To better invest in our most loyal customers, annual Club memberships will be available for purchase by Diamond, Platinum, Gold and Silver Medallion members only. Effective for new membership purchases and renewals starting Jan. 1, 2023.
• The fees for an annual Club membership will increase as follows (effective Jan. 1, 2023):
  • Individual: From $545 or 54,500 miles to $695 or 69,500 miles.
  • Executive: From $845 or 84,500 miles to $1495 or 149,500 miles.
• The fee for companion guests will increase from $39 to $50, or from 3,900 to 5,000 miles for Club members who wish to pay with miles. Effective Feb. 2, 2023.

Diamond Medallion members who select Executive Club access via their Choice Benefits.

• Members who reach Diamond Medallion status for the 2024 Medallion Year and beyond: The cost for an Executive Membership will increase from two to three Choice Benefit selections.
• Individual Membership and Credit Card Guest Pass access will no longer be offered via Choice Benefits for the 2024 Medallion Year and beyond. Effective Feb. 1, 2023 for the 2024 Medallion Year.

Delta Sky Club members flying in Main Cabin or a more premium cabin.

• Delta Sky Club members flying on Basic Economy tickets cannot enter unless they have a benefit through an eligible American Express® Card which allows for access*. Effective Feb. 2, 2023.

Customers flying in Delta One and select Medallion members flying in Delta Premium Select internationally.

• Diamond, Platinum, and Gold Medallion Members flying internationally in Main Cabin or Delta Comfort+ will no longer receive Delta Sky Club access, unless they have access through a different entry method (such as a Delta Sky Club membership). Effective Feb. 2, 2023.
• Diamond, Platinum, or Gold Medallion Status still permit entry to the Club if flying in Delta Premium Select internationally or in Delta One.

American Express Card Members with Delta Sky Club access.

• Note: The fee for companion guests of customers entering via an eligible* American Express card and for customers and companion guests entering via their Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express card will increase from $39 to $50. Effective Feb. 2, 2023.

There are no updates to Delta Sky Club access eligibility for: Delta 360 Members; Elite Plus members of other SkyTeam airlines; Delta and SkyTeam Elite Plus members flying in Delta Premium Select and Delta One (or partner airline equivalent) cabins; any customers in Delta One (or partner airline equivalent) cabin.

What’s next for Delta Sky Club

While Delta takes measures to curb Club overcrowding, the airline will continue to plan for major growth, with a robust expansion and opening schedule for 2023 and planned digital investments to enhance the Club experience.

I can’t even begin what a ridiculous approach this is and how much of a tremendous program devaluation this represents. While people have for many years ridiculed Delta Air Lines SkyMiles mileage currency as “SkyPesos” at least there were some benefits left in the program when it came to Elite treatment. Now they even removed lounge access as “Diamond, Platinum, and Gold Medallion Members flying internationally in Main Cabin or Delta Comfort+ will no longer receive Delta Sky Club access, unless they have access through a different entry method (such as a Delta Sky Club membership). Effective Feb. 2, 2023″.

To add insult to injury, not even PAID SkyClub members can enter when traveling on Basic Economy tickets. This is going to cause a firestorm for Delta during the 2023 calendar year or until most of the paid memberships have run out, and members can decide to either renew or not based on these new rules.

Delta has, over the past decades, sold Lifetime memberships to Delta SkyClub, and I reached out to Delta to find out if this rule change is going to impact these lifetime members.

According to the Delta spokesperson, Lifetime members won’t be affected by this change:

Hi Sebastian,

Lifetime Members won’t be affected by the Medallion status requirement or the restriction on entry for Delta Sky Club members flying a Basic Economy fare.

I should also note, however, lifetime memberships are no longer available for purchase so this would only apply to existing lifetime members. …

That’s at least one positive aspect, if you want to call it that. The lifetime SkyClub members are grandfathered in under the old access rules.

Here is what the email to these Lifetime members (and other SkyClub members) says:

As a valued Delta Sky Club^® Member we appreciate your business and loyalty to Delta. We work hard to create a best-in-class experience in our lounges and ensure a premium experience for our Club visitors.

If you’ve visited a Club recently, you may have seen lines at the door and guests waiting for seats once inside. This is not the experience we want for our customers, nor the one our team members wish to deliver.

To address this, we have made significant investments in our Club experience, including expanding Club capacity at several major airports. In addition to these efforts, we have made the difficult decision to implement new policies that we believe will preserve the experience our guests deserve.

I personally know three people who have purchased lifetime memberships from Northwest/Delta, they purchased their memberships from either Northwest or Delta, and prices ranged between $800 –  $2700. I’d consider that the ultimate bargain depending on the age of the member (two of then are still below 40).

What does this mean for travelers?

For one, it means that the SkyMiles program has been decimated to such a point where it simply doesn’t make any sense anymore to go for Elite Status with the airline. There is absolutely zero upside to it, especially for mid-tier elites. As if the value of the miles and prices for redemptions wasn’t bad enough, now Delta is coming for lounge access.

Purchasing a SkyClub membership has become entirely useless as well as you have even better benefits if you just get a credit card such as the Amex Platinum and get continued access to the SkyClub. It’s also cheaper as these cards cost the same or even less than a club membership in annual fees.

If Delta sets a precedent here and other carriers follow suit, then we can pretty much rewrite the chapters as far as U.S. airline loyalty programs are concerned. There won’t be any upside anymore for a large group of members who have so far benefited from being Mid- and Top Tier elite members and whose travel (especially international) is merely in cheaper economy class fares.

Conclusion

Delta Air Lines has announced restrictions to access the SkyClub airport lounges which will kick in on January 1, 2023 and February 1, 2023 respectively. This is essentially a devaluation of the SkyMiles Elite program as well as a major cutback on the value of Lifetime SkyClub memberships of which there are still many around.

Delta could have handled this in a more sensible fashion if overcrowding was really the issue at heart. For example, they could have cut all the credit card access, but no, the $$$ from credit card companies is too vital to the company. Instead, they rather betray their most loyal customers and gut their Elite system.

I truly wonder for how many members this is going to be the final straw they need to jump ship with Delta finally!?

Remember to forward us promotional offers by email that you receive from both hotels and airlines. Of course, you can send questions and comments too.

You can access Hilton here.

READ MORE: Hilton Honors Bonus Points And Miles Promotions

Hilton Honors members can earn double points and a midweek bonus on stays through December 31, 2022.

Hilton Honors Double Your Stay Promotion For Stays September 6 – December 31, 2022

Hilton Honors members earn double elite qualifying nights through December 31, 2022.

Hilton Double Elite Qualifying Nights October 11 – December 31, 2022

UPDATE: Hilton Honors Double Elite Night Credit October 11 – December 31, 2022 (What Posted)

Hilton Honors offers Meeting Planners double points through March 31, 2023.

Hilton Honors Meeting Planner Double Points Through March 31, 2023

Hilton Rate Promotions:

Hilton offers travel agents and advisors 25% to 50% off rates.

Hilton Travel Agent & Advisor 25% To 50% Off Rate Plan For Personal Use

Hilton’s luxury brands offer a fourth-night free rate plan.

Hilton’s Fourth Night Free Rate Plan For Stays At Waldorf Astoria, LXR & Conrad Hotels

You can easily book Day Rooms on Hilton’s website,

Booking Day Rooms With Hilton

Hilton has made it easier for corporate travelers to book negotiated business and leisure rates.

Hilton Negotiated Rates For Business & Leisure Travel

Hilton’s luxury brands Conrad, Waldorf Astoria, and LXR offer daily F&B credits of $150/£100/€150.

Hilton Conrad, Waldorf Astoria & LXR Daily F&B Credit Offers

Hilton offers government, public sector, and non-profit employees a 25% discount on Leisure Stays in Europe.

Hilton Government, Public Sector & Non-Profit Employee Leisure Rate For Europe

Hilton offers free nights in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Hawaii through December 31, 2022.

Hilton Free Night In The Caribbean, Latin America & Hawaii Through December 31, 2022

Hilton has a great GO rate plan for employees and another one for Friends & Family members.

Hilton Go Employee And Friends & Family Rate Plans

Go Hilton Employee And Friends & Family Rate Plan Changes For 2022

Go Hilton Employee And Friends & Family Rate Plan Additional Changes For 2022

Hilton Go Team Member Rate Spouse/Partner Benefit Has Gone Live

Hilton Honors offers airline staff members 25% to 50% off of stays outside the United States.

Hilton Honors Airline Staff Leisure 25% To 50% Off Discount Rate

Valuable Posts:

Hilton has made some Honors policy changes for 2023.

Hilton Honors 2023 Policy Changes

Hilton Diamond status extension returns in 2023.

Hilton Honors Diamond Status Extension Returns In 2023

Has Hilton changed how upgrades are sold through online check-in?

Has Hilton Changed How Upgrades Are Sold (No Gold & Diamond Upgrades)?

Is a late checkout Hilton Honors elite benefit?

Does Hilton Honors Offer Late Check Out Benefit For Elite Members?

How to use Hilton Be My Guest certificate?

Reader Question: Where & How To Use Hilton Be My Guest Certificate?

Hilton Honors Diamond members are eligible for a 48-hour guarantee.

Hilton Diamond 48-Hour Guarantee: Case Emerald House Lisbon

Hilton Honors offer Gold matches, and Diamond fast track for elite remembers from competing programs

Hilton Gold Trial Match & Diamond Fast Track 2022 (Status Valid Through March 2024)

Remember to gift Gold or Diamond status in 2022 if you reach the required number of nights.

Hilton Honors Gifting Gold & Diamond Status In 2022

Hilton Honors Gifting Diamond Status In 2022

Hilton offers the Honors Gold fast track, which only requires four nights within 90 days!

Hilton Honors Gold MVP Fast Track Four Nights Within 90 Days (Status Valid Through Early 2024)

For a fee, Hilton allows members to rebook non-refundable and prepaid stays in North America.

Hilton Advance Purchase Rate Modification With A $25/$50 Fee

Hilton has extended the much-complained F&B credit instead of breakfast at their US hotels through December 31, 2022.

Hilton Extends Gold & Diamond F&B Credit In The US Through The End Of 2022

Hilton Email About Much Hated US F&B Credit Extension

Hilton Daily Food & Beverage Credit: When It Begins & Ends?

Conclusion

Hilton’s global promotion is valid through the end of the year, and you can earn double elite qualifying nights through December 31. We should soon learn about the promotion for the beginning of 2023.

Remember to email or message us via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with your airfare-related questions or discoveries!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

PHOTO REVIEW: Turkish Airlines New Business Class Seat

fare: TURKISH AIRLINES (TK) JF2BRO JKT to PAR

• Booking class: J.
• Price: from $1,796 ($1,722 base fare + taxes & surcharges).
• Day/time restrictions: -/-
• Advanced reservation/ticketing restrictions: -/-
• Minimum stay: 3 days or until the first Sunday after arrival at first fare break.
• Maximum stay: 2 months.
• Stopovers: free stopovers permitted in Turkey.
• Cancellations: ticket is non-refundable.
• Changes: charge $130 for reissue/revalidation; charge $260 for no-show.

IATA’S COVID19 REGULATIONS MAP

Routing examples

Price comparison

Booking examples

This fare can be booked on Rumbo:

Accruals

Fare rules

Download (DOCX, 31KB)

Readers are encouraged to send us questions, comments, or opinions by email, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. We’ll try to cover them here several times a week.

You can access Hilton here.

READ MORE: Hilton Honors Rate & Bonus Points Offers

Question From A Reader:

Have these Hilton Global Automated Upgrades (already) been discontinued ? I don’t seem to be receiving them any more (used to be systematic).

Hilton started trialing Global Automated Upgrades in August last year and made the program official in November 2021.

We have covered the program from the trial stage:

• Hilton Global Automated Upgrades Processing Time & Have You Received Any?
• Hilton Introduces “Global Automated Upgrades” For Gold & Diamond Members
• Hilton Member Email About Global Automated Upgrades
• Hilton Honors Global Automated Upgrades Order
• Hilton Testing Pre-Arrival Upgrades

The upgrades are processed 72 hours before scheduled check-in time, and Honors members will receive an email from Hilton, like the one below that I received yesterday:

I just went through the emails that I have received from Hilton and compared them to my stays with the chain in the past few months:

Several stays were booked for more than 72 hours, and no emails were received:

• Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street
• Hilton Nagasaki
• Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk
• Hilton Hiroshima
• Conrad Tokyo

I did, however, receive proper upgrades at all these hotels. Also, I was upgraded further at many of the hotels for which I received an email at the check-in or during the overnight shift when room allocations are usually processed.

So, back to the reader’s question. The Global Automated Upgrades are still around, but perhaps they have stayed in hotels or markets where this is not correctly turned on or at hotels that have not allocated an adequate inventory for this program.

Conclusion

This is a great program feature from Hilton Honors if hotels allocate proper inventory and don’t try to opt-out.

The only downside is that part of the upgrade inventory is swept at the 72-hour mark when many business travelers book at the last moment and may be disadvantaged.

Since the program launch, have you seen a change in these automated upgrades at Hilton-affiliated hotels?

The carrier then decided to deny boarding to anyone who they assumed was in the same group but selected on the basis of looks and names, trying to filter out these orthodox Jews, a practice that would end up costing them dearly, as we learn this week.

According to several online sources, Lufthansa had now reached a multi-million dollar settlement with the affected passengers who were represented by a law firm in the U.S., and there have now been payments issued that are said to be in the region of $20,000 per passenger minus attorneys fees.

Based on the number of passengers involved, that means Lufthansa is paying anywhere around $2.5 Million as punishment for their behavior at Frankfurt Airport.

To quickly recapitulate what happened, here is a CNN article from May:

… Passengers told CNN they flew Lufthansa from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport to Frankfurt, intending to connect to a flight to Budapest for a religious pilgrimage on May 4.

Yitzy Halpern of New York said he was trying to board the flight when he and a number of other passengers recognizable as Jewish, who were not associated with his group, were told they would not be allowed to board.

Halpern said once the gate was closed, the airline announced their tickets to Budapest were canceled due to an incident that happened on the flight from JFK, which the airline told CNN included people not complying with mask rules or other crew member instructions.

Passengers told CNN that though they were not traveling as “a group,” they were treated as such by Lufthansa. …

Halpern [a passenger quoted in the article] and the Lufthansa] employee, who is speaking in broken English, continue to go back and forth, and then the employee is heard saying, “Jewish people were the mess, who made the problems.”

“So Jewish people on the plane made the problems so all Jews are banned from Lufthansa for the day?” Halpern asks.

“Just for this flight,” the employee responds. …

The number of passengers affected by this insanity ranged anywhere between 100 and 140 depending on where you read about the incident.

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr did apologize after the incident became public:

… Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr told employees what happened was not acceptable, according to a German news report confirmed by Muscal.

“Anti-Semitism has no place at Lufthansa,” Spohr said. “The procedure last Wednesday should not have happened like this and must now be fully clarified.” …

Fast forward, apparent there was a law firm involved that represented at least a large number of passengers collectively and the firm has eventually reached a financial settlement with Lufthansa that resulted in a considerable payment for each traveler.

Dan from Dan’s Deals has summarized the whole episode very well on his site with a timeline and is now reporting that $17,400 checks have been distributed to those clients represented by the law firm.

Let me quote Dan here:

… Sources tell me that the airline has agreed to settle for $20,000 plus $1,000 to cover expenses related to the incident.

The law firm that negotiated that settlement is taking 18% of the $20,000, leaving passengers with $16,400 plus $1,000 to cover expenses, for a total of $17,400 per passenger. Those checks are now being sent out.

Roughly 128 passengers were denied boarding and 2 were allowed to board. If the airline paid out $21,000 to each of them, that would be an expense of about $2.7 million. However some passengers weren’t part of the settlement, for various reasons. …

Lufthansa, together with many other airlines has gone completely berserk over their enforcement of onbaord mask rules even as recent as this summer. Let’s keep in mind that this happened in May of 2022 and Germany has still not moved on from their ridiculous masking rules. While it’s no longer mandatory to wear them on planes, you do have to wear masks on public transportation such as trains and buses. The transportation providers are mandated by law to enforce this insanity.

But this incident went far beyond enforcing mask rules. It lacked any reasonable basis, method or distinction of holding individual offenders accountable. Gate agents then called the police and pulled travelers from their connection flights solely based on appearance and names. You look jewish, your name sounds jewish, you’re off the flight! It’s mind boggling and quite frankly nuts.

That’s like saying “there was a European guy in a white shirt and tie smoking in the lavatory, let’s kick off everyone who remotely resembles that person no matter who they are”. Let alone the fact that this is a case of involuntarily denied boarding, it’s also discrimination of the highest order.

Conclusion

Lufthansa has reached a financial settlement to clear up a case from May where the carrier denied ~ 130 passengers with Jewish names and appearance boarding on the connecting flight due to a few unrelated passengers allegedly not following the face mask protocol on board. The way Lufthansa handled this matter caused a firestorm due to the poor execution of that process.

I’m glad that Lufthansa agreed [was forced] to pay up for the decisions that someone in Frankfurt made that day. This was poorly relayed by the cabin crew, poorly executed by the ground crew, and extremely poorly decided by management, who had to make the ultimate call. Someone must have either been high or on a power trip that ended up costing the carrier dearly.